Smartphones have infiltrated every aspect of our daily lives and whilst the most profound changes they have catalyzed might be social ones, they have also had a marked effect on the way businesses operate. We’re not talking about employees catching a quick game of Candy Crush Saga on their lunch breaks, but the ways in which your smartphones have made our business lives more efficient, more comfortable and more convenient for employees and customers alike.
Communication
Whereas even a couple of decades ago we would need to find the closest landline in order to get in touch with the office. Fast forward to 2019, however, and the fact that business can happen anywhere (and at any time) is no longer a problem because we are constantly connected to the office via our smartphones. Whether you’re making and receiving calls, checking voicemails or responding to emails on the fly – our smartphones are just as powerful (if not more so) than the chunky laptops we all used to lug around with us around the turn of the century.
Information
A business smartphone gives us access to the entirety of the world wide web and with the speed and affordability of data roaming plans, we no longer even need to be tethered to a WiFi network in order to stay on point. This means that consumers are able to find information about a business instantly, wherever they might be and in whatever situation they find themselves, which can prove incredibly helpful when making purchasing decisions. Trip Advisor is one of the most frequently visited sites for a reason, after all!
Analytics
Businesses are able to track the call conversations of their employees and team members, which can then be used to both keep an eye on them and create analytical profiles of each employee and the company as a whole. Analytics can also be used on the smartphone of your customers to drive more efficient marketing activities using services such as Mediahawk. These services show a complete picture of consumer habits and are able to offer personalized marketing which is infinitely more effective than traditional solutions.
Scheduling
We must all remember the days of keeping those ridiculous wall planners permanently stapled to the back of our office doors. They were unreliable, unsightly and there was never enough space under each day to fit everything in. The scheduling and planning apps on our modern smartphones, however, are able to sync with our desktops and everything else in our lives thanks to the wonder of cloud computing.
This makes it so much easier for customers to schedule appointments with a business as opposed to less reliable office scheduling. Files and presentations can also be shared with all the ease of swiping away a few panels and with less time spent on fiddly scheduling and appointment making you’ll have more time free to take care of more important matters.
Paperless
With most modern smartphones able to access a range of file types, it is now rarely necessary for many businesses to get the printer out. Not only is it more environmentally-friendly to ditch the paper and move to a completely digital file system, but it’s faster and more convenient too. With the memory capacity of most phones and the ability to share between them over Bluetooth, there really has never been a better time to arm your employees with the best smartphones possible and watch them take over the world!